Hey guys this is my first post on thirdgen.org. Just today I bought a 1991 Camaro RS it's the 3.1L V6 and it is teal with a white door and fender.(sorry no pictures yet LOL) Hey it's kinda ugly for now but I only gave 900 bucks so it's whatever.

Anyway the car needs a fuel pump, and it is good to go.

I am at a crossroads in my planning because I have about 900 dollars to start my resto/modding of this car, and I can't make up my mind if I want to start with appearance or performance.

My plans for performance is to drop a 350 in it, with maybe a few cheap bolt ons

As far as Appearance and overall comfort go I want to get a decent paint job, and a nice sound system and just overall make the car clean and look good.

Obviously I don't have enough money to start both right now so I am asking you guys which you would do first.

 

welcome to the boards! if i were in your position id get it painted so its all one color and then replace any worn bushings and replace anything broken underneath, basically maintenance and upkeep because if you wanna swap a 350 dont waste your time on mods for the v6 and a 350 swap isnt gonna be cheap since the car was originally a v6 good luck

 

I didn't mean performance for the V6 I was wondering if I should go ahead and do the swap and then make it look good later or make it look good first and then make it fast later.

BTW if I choose performance first I am still going to color match the door and fender so it is one color it just could use a paint job all over cause its old and missing some clear coat, and I am giving tune up regardless. thats a given

 

well if your gonna color match everything then swap the 350 id much rather have a fun car then a pretty car, but there is a limit lol

 

For me, being 16, I would rather keep my self out of trouble. When I first got it I was like most teenagers; put the biggest badass engine I can fit in there (Still planning on that 383 stroker it's just gonna be a while...). Then I started to think, surprise there, and decided to make it look good for now. It all depends on your situation.

 

ya that's kool guys I think I am going to get go appearance first. On that note does anyone know where I can get those blackout tail light covers cause I love those things but I can only find them on ebay for like 60 bucks.

 

If you can get them for $60, they might be worth it....GTS makes some of the best head/tail covers on the market, and for my buck, they're worth the investment. They're not going to make it onto my 'maro, but thats only because I don't like they look of them on all but a select few cars.

Anywho...
1991 Camaro RS Covers from GTS
Clicky that link...see if it takes you to GTS covers for a 1991 Camaro RS.

 

yeah id say make it look decent on the outside and tint the windows and lower it as well as maintainance (sp)

 

with a decent paint job of course how much will a decent one run me

 

Are you a younger guy?

Forget about the engine swap. Sure, people do it, but it seems like a lot of work for nothing. You can buy a V8 thirdgen for a lot less time, effort, and money than swapping over from a V6.

I'd begin by cleaning up the car thoroughly so it is nearly immaculate. Color matched body panels are a huge plus, but even if you can't do that, clean and polish the existing paint. I'd then invest in a set of the most badass rims you can get. Not 24" donkers or anything, I mean nice rims that fit the style of the car. Sweet rims can make even primered crapboxes look cool. Rock the car like that until you find a cheap V8 car (and there are TONS of cheap thirdgens out there) and then swap over the wheels.

My opinion.

 

Yea, I'd find a decent V8 car and start with that before I'd start with a V6 car. I've done too much to my car to sale it and start over, but if I had it to do over, I'd just have kept it stock and found a car with more go-go and modded from there.

 

Bull has a very good point. On the subject of appearance vs. performance, I am compromising with my car. I'm pretty much switching off, doing one or two things for performance, and then one or two things for appearance.

 

Well it all depends, is ur car in really good shape as in interior and body (except for the door and fender) if it is then u could have it just sprayed to match for relatively cheap and it will look good inside and out. Then go for the engine swap later but remember it's going to take more than $900. for the complete swap. You could then just drive a clean looking ride and then like others said find one with a V8 already in it. Later.

 

I have to disagree with the second part of your opinion.... I hate seeing a car with mismatched paint and new expensive rims! I think that's one of the worst looks a car can have... a car that looks like it cost $900 with rims that cost $2000.

I would definitely get the colors matched first, but of course you can't afford a complete show quality paint job now, and that's ok. Then look at the regular maintenance items that are sure to be needed on an older car. From there, enjoy the car a bit and start thinking about what you want out of the project long term. Then you set a gameplan and stick to it!

 

im 16 and i have an 85 i picked up a brand new 350 crate 330 horsepower and 400 foot pounds of torque its got a high performance cam and all new parts plus they do a good paint job on it and you can choose the color they look great. they're out of pheonix arizona. to me i choose performance first i drive mine around the way it is saving up my money to get a candy apple red kandy paint job from house of kolor. i just get one piece of interior when i get the money. and after a while its all done throw some edelbrock headers, you know, a few nice bolt ons and shes damn fast. thats just what i did
http://tuffdawgengines.com/chev_350_330hp.htm
free shipping and u buy them from ebay
$1995 def worth a summers savings

 

Personal preference, my friend. I am especially fond of this technique on 60s and 70s cars. You can take any semi-ratty American V8 car from this era and make it instantly cool just by throwing on a NICE set of properly selected wheels.

In this case, the wheels are a good idea because they are transferable to the next car. Drop money on painting a six-banger Camaro, and then swapping an engine and trans, and you have a car that has limited desirability and from which you can't get your investment back.

 

I say you take those $900 and make a good turbo kit (it IS possible) and have a nice 300hp-400hp sleeper Camaro... there would be nothing worse than getting your *** handed to you buy a Camaro with mismatched doors and fenders!

Then paint the car. Turbos are transferable.

 

Is it a daily driver first off? if it is work on appearence that way you can save more money with the v-6's better gas mileage then drop the 350 in there

 

ya I am younger(17), two it will be my DD, three I don't really want the turbo v6 thanks for the suggestion, four I don't wanna sell it for a lot of reasons one being that except for the paint it is in pretty nice shape, and even if I sold it I wouldnt have money for a v8 one that isnt junk. My RS is a good car for a swap cause it is it good shape and I shouldnt have to worry bout spending money on keeping the car running instead of putting money into improvments.

 

Make a budget. Price out all the parts you need for the swap. ALL the parts. You'll see that your $900 budget gets blown apart, and after the bodywork, too, you'll have a very expensive RS that no one will want to buy.

You can buy V8 cars for small money. A guy on here just bought a V8 '91/'92 Formula with Ronals on it for $900!!

 

I have made the final decision...

I am going to spend a good portion of my budget on getting the car running well, painted, and get the little stuff like a stereo and then with the remaining money I am going to buy a junkyard 350 and build it myself. A buddy and me are kinda turning it into our little project.

I like this plan because it will look nice and it will drive ok and I can just take my time and build the motor and drop it in when i get it done.

It would be nice to have another decently fast car(first car was 1997 Grand Prix GTP supercharged) while I am still in high school(graduate in may) but o well I will get over it. At least when I take my girlfriend with me somewhere it will look nice ever if it isn't quick.

 

Quite possibly the most impressive post made by one of the up and coming younger generation. Appearance first on a dd (and needed maintainence mind you) Further I like your plan on building a junkyard 350, and if you've never attempted an engine build (or even if you have) I'd like to suggest a book to help you out. "How to build a small block chevy" It's got alot of good pictures and tips and tricks for disassembly/rebuild. I feel its a good tool/teaching guide, however it does make the assumption that you can tell the difference between metric/sae tools. While you don't have to be a certified mechanic you DO need either a little mechanical aptitude or enough patience to gut your way through the harder issues.

Gool luck and keep us updated.

 

hey thanks man ill look that up and ya I am not amazingly mechanical but my friend is, and my step dad is a mechanic so he can jump in if i really need him to but I am going to try to learn this on my own.

 

Don't forget to go through the suspension/brake system and replace anything that needs it!

 

I will...I will get everything done it's all just a matter of time and money...lol I work at McD's so I get boned where money is concerned...plus I have other expenses...Mixed Martial Arts training and other stuff.

Btw I am waiting to paint till after winter so it can cure nice if they don't bake it. I think I am going to get some of the GM areosol paint and spray the door and fender so it is at least all the same color and then paint it in spring. I think I am going to do the prep work myself and then have macco spray it.

anyone have an opinion on macco?

 

well as far as maaco, or ANY paint shop is concerned there is one age old saying "You get what you pay for" Maaco makes its money by volume. They do it fast and they do it cheap. You probably wont win any awards w/a maaco paintjob, but it'll likely all be the same color. The thing you want to remember about a paint job is its in the details. The more time you spend on prep the cheaper its going to be for you, and the easier it will be for the shop to paint. I've seen some great paint jobs turned out of maaco, and I've seen some crap that looks like it was done in an unsupervised highschool shop class. Your best bet it to check the place out, look at the work area, is it clean? Do they have tons of cars stacked up waiting to be painted? Do they guarrantee their work in writing? This goes for any shop not just maaco. When it comes to paint it pays to take your time and do the leg work.

 

ya my step dad and I are going to do the prep work ourselves so it should save us quite a bit. also I am thinking would it be cheaper if I went ahead and bought the paint? like I dont really know where I could get it but I am sure I could get some of the GM teal somwhere.

 

Swapping to a v8 isn't the easiest thing to do. If i was you i would buy a junk v8 thirdgen. It will have everything you need to do the swap and you can save alot of money that way.

If you dont buy a parts car car expect to spend around 2500 on all the parts you will need. All the little thing add up fast trust me.

 

I'm a strong believer that people look at the paintjob before the engine.. Appearance, bar none.

 

appearance before the engine is how I did it. and just look at my car (link below in sig), I did it myself and Im only 16. I go to a technical high school, maybe you should look into doing the prep work and having a tech school do the spraying.

 

Exactly what I'm doing also, I got My interior all done because I wanted to make it comfortable and nice, and now I'm doing my bodywork to make it look good. You know like he said, Take it to a tech school. Some will do it for the cost of materials, others for free, and some may even charge alot of money. but it depends on who it is. Also like tmic I Haven't touched the engine yet and probaly wont for a while. I'm still 16 and I'm not to worried about power, It has enough and I don't like the idea of modding a car anyways.

 

1

 

I went with appearance....

Although it has a 305 that is still fun to drive, obviously a much bigger, stronger engine would have been a fun route to go...but how often can you lay down some rubber and tear around with the car? For me, its not that often - I dont live near a track, the streets are filled with cops (eager to write citations)...I figured that I could put my efforts towards making her look good before running fast

I've never regretted it

 

Appearance definitely. As long as it's a good runner and gets from point A to point B repeatedly without braking down.
Then do the performance mods as time and money allows.

 

Go Younguns!!! Lol, I'm 16 and building my own 350 as well just picked one up today as a matter of a fact. Bought the engine stand like 2 months ago but it was postponed when the current 350 blew some gaskets. Fixed that and now I'm back to the engine. Sending it to get machined tomorrow hopefully.

 

I got my 92 z28 when I was 14, and it was FAR from pretty. so believe me, I know EXACTLY where you're coming from.

In my experience, dream big now and spend big later. Get it painted, running right, and clean up the interior. Then run it for a while and decide if you wanna keep it or sell it for a V8 before you get too attached. Once you have a first car you are happy with, NEVER LET IT GO!!

After painting mine and getting everything super clean, plus a set of wheels from my dad's buddy, I just drove it. It wasn't fast (L03) but it made for a killer beach cruiser and turned heads everywhere I went. Plenty for me at the time. You're taste will most likely mature/change in the next few years (mine did A LOT) so no use doing a bunch of mods you won't like later on. I've just washed/waxed and maintained mine since high school and it's still one of the cleanest 3rd gens in southern NH. I drove it every summer through college and once I find a solid job now I get to start the performance mods

Good luck

 

it's ben a while since i have posted on this thread but I got a friend to do my paint for free in the spring and I bought some very nice 17 inch chromes and will put them on when I paint it...got the cd player in, but it got really cold so havent been able to work on it and get it running right before winter so I guess I will have to wait till spring to get it going cause I dont have a garage

 

performance

 

When my first Camaro was trashed, I went to go buy a new turbocharged car to have some fun with. The vehicle I wanted wasn't to be found, so I bought a non turbo base model instead thinking oh I'll just ad the turbo kit and body mods later.. which I did. $15,000 later I realized "damn.. I paid 30K to turn my car into a vehicle that now (a couple years later) would cost 15K to buy the real thing used with low miles.

Not just that, but the resale on the car was toast, so that was a poor waste of my hard earned money.

The point is, the car you have right now was born to be a V6 the engine, the transmission, the rear etc. Modding cars with big engine swaps is really a labor of love, it's time consuming, difficult, and most of all expensive.

I understand maybe wanting to learn, and watch the car transform and thats great I think that is an experience all car guys should have in their lifetimes. A project vehicle, which takes on a total transformation. The things to consider though are this:

1.) How long do you plan to keep the car for? a year? 50 years? If you are unsure, it's not wise to pour money into it.
2.) Do you have another vehicle to drive while you do the mods? If not.. my best advice to you is:

Drive the RS, install a fuel pump, have the door and fender matched as correctly as possible and enjoy it while you save for a V8 model. You will thank yourself, and have a lot more money in the end.

 

That's one of the best posts of advice I've seen on here in a while.